Improved washing-machine



ROBERT E. FERGUSON,v

or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

Letters Patent No. 83,145, lated October 20, 1868.

IMPRovED WASHING-MACHINE.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, ROBERT E. FERGUSON, of Chicago, in the county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Vashing- Machines; land I do hereby declare and make known that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and the letters and figures marked thereon, which form part of this specification.

To enable those skilled in the art to widerstand how to construct and use my said improvement, I will proceed to describe the same with particulality, making reference, in so doing, to the aforesaid chawings, in Which- Figure 1 represents a central vertical section of my invention;

Figure 2 is a similar section, taken at the line a: in

Figure 3 is a section taken at the line y in said Figure i is a top view of the metallic head or cap on the vertical shaft of the; washer;

Figure 5 is a plan View of the-metallic journal-box in which said cap revolves; and

Figure 6 representsabottom view of the bevelled-gear Wheel, xed upon the top of the said vertical shaft.

Similar 4letters of reference inthe several figures denote the saine parts of my said invention, which, however, relates simply tothe upper part of the Inachine, or the attachment for operating the same', without reference to the lower parts.

My said invention consists in a novel arrangement or device, whereby the iron parts of the machine, or the shaft and gearing for operating the same, are entirely covered and protected 'om the ysuds or water the machine, thus preserving them from rust and corrosion, and preventing the injury to the clothes which would be done by bringing them in contact with the rust of the parts, or from having the water infused with the rust while the washing is being done; the said casing or enclosure being at the same time so constructed and applied upon the machine as toconstitute the journal-boxes or bearings for both the crank-shaft and the vertical washer-shaft, and also their gearing, so that by removing said protecting dey vice from the machine, it being made -readily removable for that purpose, the entire operating-parts of the washing-machine are therewith removed from the tub, as When it is desired to cleanse or wash out the same.

Another important advantage of the arrangement above speciiied of the casing and bearings ofthe' shafts and Atheir gearing, its position being central over the top of the tub, consists in the fact that thereby a rib or flange, upon which a Wringer can be secured, can be arranged centrally over the tub, so

that the water wrung or expressed from the clothes passing through the wringer will fall into the tub, instead of partially outsideV of the same, as is the case when the wringer is attached to the edge of the tub, 1 orto a deiice secured upon the edge of the tub, as

has heretofore been done.

A represents a vertical cylindrical tub, which is provided with a series of interior ribs A', and has at the centre of the bottom a step or box, in which the lower end ofthe vertical shaft B rests,`as shown, said shaft being provided with a circular horizontal disk \V, near the bottom of the tub, and also with a series of vertical beaters B', which agitate the water as the shaft B is revolved.

Uponthe top of said shaft B, which'rises to the under side of a wooden cross-piece, C, which is seis formed a rectangular nib or projection, which iits into a rectangular hole ai in the iron cap L, so as to fix said cap iirmly to the shaft B.

The said cap L has a circular riser marked m, which fits into a metallic collar, H, secured in a recess upon said cross-bar O, as shown, said collar resting upon the cap L, so as to keep the shaft B in place, while the said circular riser or journal on turns freely in the metallic box or collar H.

The cap L passes up in a circular openingin the under side of the cross-bar G, just large lenough to receive said cap, and is almost Wholly concealed in the bar C, but this cap is made of. galvanized -iron,-so that although its lower side is exposed to the water, no bad cap will not rust.

G represents a bevelled-gear wheel, provided with a rectangular nib, g, which iits into the corresponding hole n in the cap L, and said wheel G and cap L are firmly and rigidly secured to the top of the shaft B by means of a screw, s, passing down through them and into said shaft, as shown in the drawings.'`

D represents a bar of wood, of a circular form, havinga hat lower face, which lies close down upon the top of the cross-bar O, said bar being provided with flanges il, as shown in iig.`3, which iit down lupon each bar, and prevent the water from spattering in upon the gearing through the space or crack between theparts C and D. Y

At the middle point of the bar D `is formed a chamber, D', in the lower part of which the aforesaid gearwheel G lies, and upon one side of which a vertical gearwheel,bevel1ed so as to engage with Gr, marked F, is supported upon a shaft, E, which passes through from one end of the said bar D, as shown, suitable journalboxes e e being arranged,"in which the shaft E may be revolved by turning the crank-handle J.

ciued at the top of the tub by screws S S, as shown, Y

results can follow, as the said exposed surface of the side of said cross-bar C, to keep it in place upon saidl Thus the turning of the handle J will cause the washer-shaft B to revolve as desired, While all the gearing and metal parts are secluded and preserved from contact with the water While the machine is in operation, as hereinbefore mentioned.

The parts C D are firmly secured together by screws or otherwise, and the Whole properly secured to the tub by means of screws S S, as aforesaid.

By taking thescrews or fasteners which secure the pieces O D together out, the part D, with its shaft and wheel F can be removed, when, by taking the screw s from the top of the shaft B, the Wheel G can be removed, so as to permit the cross-bar C to be removed independent of the washer-shaft and its attachment.

Upon the top of the covererD isarrangeda rib or flange, I, whereunto any wringer can be secured, for the purpose of wringing the clothes, the protectingcover D G preventing the Water from corroding the metal of the gearing and other parts of the device, which rib or flange I, from its being secured centrally over the tub, causes the water from the Wringer to fall into the tub, which central position of the rib could not be attained except for the employment of the covering-bar C D, which sustains the rib, and at the same time protects the gearing and shaft E from the water expressed from the wringen i Having described the construction and operation of my invention, I will now specify what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent.

I claim the arrangement of the Wringer-rib I centrally over the tub of the machine, when supported upon a bar or bars O D, which at the same time encloses and protects the gearing of the machine from the Water expressed from the clothes by the wringer, al1

Yconstructed and operating as and for the purposes specified.

ROBT. E. FERGUSON. Witnesses W. E. MARES,

H. BRUNs. 

